Sunshine
by justanoutlaw
Summary: There's a little bit of sunshine after midnight at a coffee shop right on Main Street.


I reblogged a prompt list on Tumblr with a bunch of different AU situations. An anonymous user sent in a request for a Swanfire coffee shop AU.

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 _You are the sunshine of my life  
That's why I'll always be around,  
You are the apple of my eye,  
Forever you'll stay in my heart_

 _I feel like this is the beginning,  
Though I've loved you for a million years-Stevie Wonder_

Emma looked around with a sigh as she tried to figure out what to do. She was working third shift yet again at the coffee shop where she worked. Around 10 PM, things began to calm down and no one would come back until around 5 AM or so. She managed to get all the cleaning done by midnight and was mostly just waiting around for something, anything.

The bell above the door rang and she looked up, smiling a bit. It was Neal, a regular. He came in about once or twice a week. She knew that he was a firefighter who tended to work late shifts. He would always come in for some coffee and a bear claw. When they first met, he tried to order apple pie, but they didn't have any. He pretended to be offended, but then soon asked her what she recommended, so she said a bear claw. Every time, though, he'd still try to order apple pie.

"Hey," she said. "None of your buddies wanted to come in tonight?"

"They're all lame, wanted to go see their families." He dropped down into a stool at the counter. "Can I get a cup of coffee? Black?"

"Of course. I just fixed a fresh pot." She walked over to where it was.

"And a slice of apple pie?"

Emma smirked. "Sorry, fresh out."

"Darn, guess just a bear claw then."

Emma poured out the coffee and grabbed a bear claw, setting it down in front of him. He started to pick at it and sip his coffee.

"They really make you work alone?"

"Someone called out, it's been pretty dead since Ruby left anyway."

Neal nodded. "So, do you always work?"

"I have Mondays and Wednesdays off."

"Uh huh…what do you do then?"

"Uh, catch up on sleep and do grocery shopping?"

"Surely you do something at night," he prodded.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I binge watch Netflix."

"Maybe you'd like to go out with me," he offered. "For coffee."

"Are you serious?"

"I have Wednesdays off too. Consider it a date."

Emma smiled at Neal for a few moments. She had dated a few guys over the years, never anything serious. She knew that Neal had been engaged when he first started coming to the coffee shop, but that it ended when she cheated. It had been over 6 months since then and she had seen him about town with other girls. No way was she possibly the rebound.

"I work with coffee every day," she said. "I'm pretty sick of it. How about we go for dinner instead."

Neal grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

He sat there, enjoying his bear claw and coffee. She'd refill his mug every so often, while some people came in and out, just getting things to go. He didn't move, even after his third cup of coffee, just admiring her as she worked.

"Why me?" She asked.

Neal cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Why me? Why do you keep coming back in here? Why do you want to take me out?"

Neal smiled. "Truth?" She nodded. "I probably knew everyone in this town and when you showed up, I don't know. Things just seemed to change for me. I get through my shifts quicker, I have more pep in me. I just can't wait to see you. I'm just…happier with you. It's like you've brought sunshine back into my life. After my mom walked out on my dad and I found out that Tamara was cheating on me, I didn't know if I ever really believed."

Emma stared at him for a moment. It sounded cheesy, but also real. She smiled a little bit, blush coming to her cheeks. Before Storybrooke, she had been so unhappy, bouncing around from place to place. Here, she officially felt like she had a home. Neal was one of the reasons she decided to stay, seeing him brought joy to her life.

Maybe there was such a thing as fate after all.

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As always, I do accept prompts! Whether it be on here or my Tumblrs: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction.


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